Fight for the Strawberry
by MidnightEden234
Summary: Our favourite orange head wasn't getting any rest. When he finally succumbs to his fatigue while trying to do his homework, he dreams. But this dream wouldn't be normal. It is filled with many fragments of his souls, some long forgotten. They are all from different points in his life, but all of them share a goal: to get their King's affection and make him rest! / OOCness
1. Chapter 1

**MidnightEden234: Had a really fun time writing this. It took a record-breaking week (only) to write this story! And I had fun working with Shiro Zangetsu on this lil project. It's gonna be awesome and I hope you all enjoy it. :D**

 **Shiro Zangetsu: Hey I helped writing this, call me Shiro Zangetsu, that's my username. Enjoy! :p**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Ichigo shifted his backpack to his other shoulder with a groan. The weight of his bag left an indent in his skin that was now turning an ugly red beneath his school uniform. There were several textbooks within his bag, and papers sticking out on all sides. He couldn't imagine why his teacher decided all these assignments needed to get done by tomorrow, instead of, you know, one day at a time? But alas, here he was, carrying home a backpack that was heavy enough he could use it for weightlifting.

Speaking of weightlifting, Ichigo had no energy to train right now, but Rukia, the petite girl walking beside him, was nagging him about keeping up with his Soul Reaper duties. If he was honest, he probably only heard half of what she was saying. You could say she spoke in one ear and everything came out on the other side of his head - no information taken in. That was if Ichigo heard her at all since he was falling asleep on his feet.

That was until she got his attention by kicking his ankle. "Are you even listening?!"

Tired, honey-brown eyes turned to her, barely feeling the attack. A grunted 'yes' followed by a nod was all she would get from him.

With an arched eyebrow she replied, "Oh really? Then why are you slacking off, hm? That's not like you at all, if you continue like this people will be in danger!"

"Rukia… shut up, I am tired."

Not being fond of being rudely spoken to, the petite girl started yelling at him again, nagging reaching levels beyond annoying. If he would rate it… over 9000, or as you may say: 7.8/10 too much nagging.

Now he finally had it! This started to become a headache and it was just a waste of time. Yes, he knew he slacked off. Yes, he knew it was dangerous for everyone, including him. Yes, he does know, damn it! With his bad mood, his mind started to dip into rather dark thoughts.

She still wouldn't shut up and now he had enough. Normally, he wouldn't yell at his friend, nor would he get angry, but he just reached his limit for today.

"You know Rukia, just shut up, I got it! I got lazy and I can't do anything right. But you know… I haven't seen you moving your lazy ass and killing some Hollows - or maybe you want to do my homework and school tests for me? But don't you dare get me bad grades! Or maybe just get a second fucking Shinigami in this town so I don't have to do everything at the same time!"

With his angered mind, he simply turned away from her and used the advantage of his longer legs to out-walk her. He only wanted to sleep, no nagging, no homework, no family, or responsibilities - just a night of uninterrupted sleep.

Rukia stopped walking, mouth hanging open like a fish out of water. That was unexpected, she couldn't remember the last time he seriously yelled at her like this. Maybe he never had before? He must really be tired, after all. "When was his last break?" But that question drifted away in the wind and remained unanswered.

When the strawberry finally reached his home, the first thing (or rather person) who greeted him was his oh so annoying father. "YOU ARE LAAAAAATE!" And with a war cry he aimed for his son's face only to get a rather lackluster kick in the face - but still enough to get him crashing into the wall.

With a grunt, Ichigo placed his foot back on the ground and clenched one hand in a fist, knuckles turning white, the other still holding his backpack. "What nonsense are you spewing, goat-face!? Is your mind finally going? Are you just old? Or are you actually unreasonable enough to make my curfew 7pm!? You know I was running around town fighting- err, taking care of a few things before I got home. I texted you, you old fart!"

Isshin sprung up from the floor, having melted to it after hitting the wall. He placed a hand over his heart and tears rolled down his face. "Oh, Ichigo, my boy, your words wound me! How could you say such terrible things to your loving daddy!?"

With that he jumped at the wall and cried at the poster of his beloved dead wife. "Masakiiiii, why is our son such a miserable and uncaring rock? WHAT DID I DO WRONG?! IT'S SO HARD TO RAISE SUCH A DELINQUENT SON WITHOUT YOU HERE, MY LOVE!"

"Let it go, goat-face!" Ichigo huffed. He rubbed his eyes and sighed, "I'm going to bed. Forget about me for the rest of the night."

As Ichigo turned towards the stairs, Yuzu cried, "But Ichi-nii! I made you your favourite dinner!"

Ichigo stopped, finally noticing the scent of curry in the air. It soothed him slightly. He turned around and gave Yuzu a gentle, big-brother smile. "Okay Yuzu, can I take a bowl upstairs?"

Yuzu blushed and gave a curt nod. She poured him a bowl and Ichigo walked over to take it from her.

Ichigo smiled and barely murmured, "You're the best Yuzu. Thank you."

She squeaked and nodded. After Ichigo left, Karin gently nudged her in the side. "Hey! How come Ichigo gets to eat in his room and not me?"

Yuzu folded her arms with a pout. She stuck her nose up in the air as she answered, "Because Ichi-nii has a part-time job, and is working hard in his last year of high school so that he can get into a good university!"

Karin grinned and chuckled at her sister's funny antics. "Sounds like you're picking favourites to me," she teased.

Yuzu plopped Karin's food in front of her. "I am not! Now eat before it gets cold! I won't be heating it up again for you."

Karin grinned slightly, she knew how to rile up her twin like no other. With that, the family became quiet, if you don't count a crying Isshin. But that's a normal background noise in this household, right?

Ichigo drowned out the noise with headphones as he marched down the hall into his room. He shut and locked the door before he pulled out the chair from his desk. He finally dropped his bag. He fell into his seat and released the deepest of breaths. His limbs finally relaxed, the tension from today rolling off his shoulders. Ichigo closed his eyes and let the sweet music from his phone fill his brain.

A little shudder went through his body when his mind remembered a time when he never had a quiet minute, when a certain Hollow haunted him in his sleep, not just then but the whole day. Thank god, he never heard from him again after the Ginjo incident.

Boy, was Ichigo ever in for a shock. Little did the Substitute Shinigami know, not just his Hollow, but many more of his spirits and personal demons were conspiring within his Inner World. Many of which he'd forgotten about, and was soon to be taught never to forget about them again…


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone and welcome to chapter 2! Time for some spirits to arrive, hm? Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

With an annoyed huff, the teenager opened the dreaded textbook. He could barely read what was inside. Ichigo wasn't stupid by any means, but if you didn't sleep properly for weeks, your attention may be somewhere else, if it was even still alive in your head.

The assignment was for around ten pages. Ten - what a big number, way too big, gigantic… too much. And of course, it had to be Japanese. He was good with writing and speaking Japanese, but after staring at a book with many kanjis, they start to look like a blank page with dancing stickmen.

Writing so many pages got tedious. It just seemed so pointless to the orangette. Couldn't he just summarize his ideas into two pages instead of rambling on for paragraphs upon paragraphs of needless filler?

That would be smart, and school doesn't want you to be smart. (Or was this going to make him smarter? Ichigo didn't know anymore. . .) Maybe if he stared long enough at the book it would burn under his heated gaze or maybe the essay would get scared and would write itself? Yes, that would be great. Ichigo shook his head. He tried to bring his thoughts back to his work. When had he already written a page? He was half asleep and was losing the fight with the other half of his brain that also wanted to sleep.

If Isshin wasn't yelling throughout the whole house then you maybe would have been able to pick up a weird "bonk" as Ichigo simply fell asleep on his table, face first onto his page. But his thick skull that had taken way harder hits didn't mind that at all. Finally, he was allowed a rest. He could sleep, even if it was just for a little while.

A few minutes passed and Ichigo shot up, nearly knocking his chair over. A page was stuck to his face, and when he peeled it off, there were black ink marks left on his skin.

"What is this?" he asked, peeling the page from his skin, but his voice sounded different. It was as though he was standing in a large room and his voice was echoing. Gold on black eyes scanned the page, their curiosity slowly dulling to boredom. "Wah, how dull! Nobody needs this crap!" And in the trashcan the paper went.

No, it was no longer Ichigo in control, but his Inner Hollow, or Shiro to make things easier. He has been silently observing his King all day, and when Ichigo had fallen asleep at his chair, Shiro had pulled Ichigo's consciousness into his Inner World and forced himself to take over.

Shiro stood and wandered towards the mirror. He glanced in the mirror and discovered the ink on his King's cheek. He giggled to himself before wiping the marks off on the sleeve of his King's precious school uniform.

"Ne, Ichi, ya can't even take care of yourself? Ya idiot." Shiro leaned in close to the mirror. He saw blacks bags under Ichigo's eyes and stress wrinkles all around Ichigo's face. Shiro huffed, "Yer gonna work yerself to an old age. Looks like I gotta take care o' yerself for ya if ya can't do it fer yerself."

He grunted and shook himself free of the restrictive jacket, making it fall to a heap on the ground. He undid Ichigo's dress shirt and let that fall to the ground too. After a few minutes, he had freed himself of his King's ridiculous attire and stood only in boxers. Shiro huffed and opened Ichigo's drawers, searching for pajamas. He found black shorts and an orange shirt with black polka dots: perfect! He slid his King's arms and legs into the soft material, admiring the tight but much more flexible clothing way more than the uniform. (In Shiro's opinion, the uniform should just be burned.)

Shiro nodded and hopped onto Ichigo's bed. He leaned back into Ichigo's pillow and closed his eyes. "There, ya idiot King, isn't this much nicer?" he murmured before falling asleep and returning to his King's Inner World.

It was quiet and peaceful, nothing in the world would be able to bother Ichigo right now. The thing under his head was warm and soft, and basically everything he needed in the world. But wait… one thing was a little annoying, the pillow was a little stiff, oh well! One or two solid punches should fluff it up and solve the problem, right? Right!

So, the half-asleep berry lifted his arm and let his fist fly onto the surface. But the pillow didn't fluff up, it didn't become softer. In reality, it wasn't even a pillow. Actually, it was someone's lap he happened to be laying on. How he did know that despite sleeping? Well the "Ouch!" could be an indicator for this theory.

With a hitched breath, his eyes snapped open so brown meet a bright blue. For a few seconds, the teenager simply stared confused at the bright orbs, they seemed to familiar. It took his tired mind 3 seconds to figure out who he had slept on, and most important: who he had punched.

"Tensa Zangetsu…?" Ichigo murmured, the name coming out in an unsure tone. He felt sheepish under the intense blue stare. The last time he saw Tensa was when he had learned the Final Getsuga Tenshou. Ichigo was almost certain Tensa would still be rather moody about that time.

"I see you've remembered my name… but just Tensa will suffice." A rather monotone voice answered despite the fact that he just got punched to "fluff him up". Avoiding Tensa's eyes, the berry looked to the side and awkwardly scratched his head, not sure how to respond to this situation. If you were looking very close you may be able to spot a light dust of pink on his nose since this was a little embarrassing.

"Ah, right, well then, Tensa, what am I doing here? And sorry about the punch. I didn't know I was sleeping on you." If he was honest he wasn't even sure _why_ and _how_ he was sleeping on his Zanpakuto or even why his sword spirit chose to be in his younger bankai form, questions upon questions. "Hey, uh, Tensa? Where's the other guy? Yanno, the tall one? Zangetsu?" To emphasize this, he lifted his hand above his head with a flick of his arm.

Tensa huffed and folded his arms, looking away from Ichigo, which was good because Tensa wouldn't have wanted his wielder to notice the red crossing his cheeks. ' _Oh, what, am I not good enough for you, Ichigo?'_ He wanted to ask, but instead he just mumbled, "I do not know where he is. I sensed you enter your Inner World and found you laying there. You looked uncomfortable, so, I took it upon myself to fix that issue and since only spirits inhabit your world, not pillows or anything comfortable, I provided you with my lap. I suppose _I_ should be asking you, why are you here, Ichigo Kurosaki?"

"Ah, well… I don't really know myself ahaha…" Now it didn't need an expert to hear the sharp tone Tensa Zangetsu was having. He didn't seem very pleased about being punched and something different Ichigo couldn't quite put his finger on. But the fact alone that Tensa was using his last name only meant trouble and that's something the teen really didn't need more of. Was a peaceful sleep too much to ask for?

Scratching his head once again, he started to think back, what was the last thing he could remember? "Well, I did my homework I think. Rukia and dad were so annoying today, hmm, but I don't really remember what I did after my homework." After closing his eyes to think again he realised he wasn't even sure what his homework was about, he knew it was Japanese. But else? "Ah, I think I fell asleep but I am not sure why I am sleeping here. Shouldn't be I sleeping on my desk?" If he was honest… he had no idea, as embarrassing as it was to admit. But what he did know that it was basically a rule for him to be in his inner world when Zangetsu wanted something from him. So, his amazing and _absolutely_ foolproof plan was now: step 1: find the old man, step 2: find out what he wants, step 3: get out of here and finish his homework, and, most importantly, step 4: sleep.

With his sleepy mind made up, he reached a hand to Tensa in order to help him up, only to announce a few seconds later, "Gotta find the old man. See ya around, I guess, and if you find him let me know." With that in mind the PJ-wearing teen was on his search for the old man to finally get his sleep.

' _Oh of course, Zangetsu this, Zangetsu you for caring so much about me._ ' He wasn't envious, not at all. Okay, maybe a tiny bit. His wielder only saw him once before, he expected to get more attention, but no, Tensa's master had to run after his older counterpart. It made no sense to Tensa, after all he was younger and way better looking, so why wasn't his master's attention on him? Zangetsu was old, and a giant skyscraper - as the Hollow liked to mock him with. Here are enough skyscrapers, so why was his master still interested in the old man and not him? After all, he was providing the support of a makeshift pillow. The thought alone made him slightly dazed. His master had been sleeping on him. A small grin formed on Tensa's face. ' _At least that's one thing the old man will never experience._ '


	3. Chapter 3

**Welcome back! We present chapter 3~ Who might be the next spirit Ichigo will cross ways with? Read to find out! :D**

Chapter 3

While the younger sword Spirit was still lost in his thoughts, Ichigo's search for the old man continued. "Zangetsu! Old man, come out! I am tired, so what the hell do you need me for?" He sighed. Ichigo was annoyed and tired. This was weird, he never had a situation like this before and he didn't remember falling asleep in PJs either. The fact alone that he was wearing them in his Inner World was weird. Normally, he wore his shinigami uniform here.

Suddenly, everything seemed to click in place like a puzzle. He had to be dreaming! That was the only possible solution for this, right? So maybe he would never find the old man here since he simply never dreamt of him. But that left one question: What was he supposed to do now? Maybe the easiest solution would be to just go back to sleep, but Tensa was right: no pillows anywhere.

The skyscrapers didn't really look too comfortable either and going back to Tensa asking him to let him sleep on his lap again was just a big no. For one, he was sure the younger spirit would stab him or something like that and two, it was way beyond his pride, dream or reality. So he would just lay down here and sleep. Still better than nothing. As long as it wouldn't rain that is.

However, with his sour mood, clouds began to gather just as Ichigo started drifting off again. His mood only worsened and the sky only darkened as Ichigo continued to lay on the skyscraper, since the longer he stayed there, the more uncomfortable and sore Ichigo got. With the sun gone, the Substitute Shinigami began to shiver and grumble in his sleep.

A shadow, one darker than the shadows the clouds were casting, loomed over Ichigo. A mask covered the creature's face, and when it opened it's mouth it revealed nothingness behind its fangs. It leaned in closer to the sleeping berry, a black Shinigami uniform hugging its frame and ending in tufts of red fur. Long, orange hair poured out of the back of its helmet-like mask, rolling over its shoulders and tickling Ichigo's skin. The creature growled, the sound growing lower until turning into a purr.

It closed its mouth and nudged the side of Ichigo's head with the top of its mask. When Ichigo didn't respond, it cooed with concern. It picked Ichigo up, with ease, into it's arms and hugged him against its chest. It laid back down, becoming Ichigo's bed. It purred happily with Ichigo laying on it.

The clouds seemed to lighten up since finally the owner of this world was at peace. It wasn't cold anymore, rather warm and the being's clothing was softer than someone would expect. Especially the tuffs of red which were soft and fluffy to the touch.

The eyes behind the mask started to glow softly, beaming with a feeling of happiness. The question if the being could smell was answered when it buried it nose into short orange hair. The clawed tips stroking the cheeks of the teen, careful not to scratch and damage one of his only body parts that are without any scars from battle.

As careful as it was, it didn't quite think of the cotton-like tufts of fur at its ankle. They were touching the berry's legs and it started to tickle the sensitive flesh. The teen started to lightly kick around with his feet in order to get rid of the annoyance. But with the beast's thick, armour-like, pale skin it didn't even register that it got kicked since the kick of a sleeping man is nothing compared to the fight that brought the beast to life, the day Ichigo's heart had been blasted out and the monster woke to save his life.

An annoyed mumble could be heard, but still the tickling wouldn't stop. So with the failed attempt to make it stop, the teen woke up. Yawning, he realised he was sleeping on someone again, since the thing beneath him was soft and warm. ' _Ah did Tensa come back? That's so nice of him._ '

Turning around he had a light smile on his face, scratching his head, like he always did when he was embarrassed, he spoke: "Ah Tensa did I fall asleep on you ag-" His eyes widened when he saw the beast, and he almost choked on his own spit. "HOLY SHIT!"

Oh _no_ , he didn't see some horned beast, and it was _not_ right in front of him, nooo, no. That couldn't be real, right? Waking up from his shock inflicted numbness his first instinct was to run and get some distance between the obvious hollow and himself. He tried to stand up but to his misfortune he quickly realised he couldn't.

The Hollow had wound him up in a rather strong embrace and one look at its rather strong and muscular arms told you, Ichigo wouldn't be able to wiggle out of this easily, especially in his vulnerable human body. He started to sweat in fear, he was doomed. One tight squeeze of those arms and he would be strawberry pudding. The sharp horns attached to its head didn't look pleasant either, nor the thought of being stabbed by them. One cero, only one movement with its mouth and he was history!

The panic levels were rising, he was scared, he would die, or maybe get eaten _in his dream_. That wouldn't be pleasant at all and, dream or not it, was something he didn't wish to experience. Though he wouldn't be able to struggle again because the hollow decided now was a good time to hug him even closer and purr right in his ear.

That was too much for the teen. He needed help and the only person he could think of right now was Tensa. "T-Tensa! TENSA! Tensa please come here, kami please, I don't want to die like this!" ' _Especially in a polka dot PJ!_ ' The panic levels seemed to rise as the hollow decided to show more affection. After all it was simple minded: its master, if that was that the right word (maybe beloved, well, nobody could tell), _Ichigo_ was scared and not comfortable, so with its simple mindset it decided to show affection to calm him. That its affection was the reason for the teen's freak out was something it couldn't and wouldn't understand.

With wide eyes, Ichigo saw its masked mouth open, the sharp teeth on the mask looking very dangerous as the mask opened up to show some smooth, pale lips. The corners of the lips pulled up to the smallest smile as it decided to touch his cheek again. Small poking movements that were supposed to calm the wittering teen didn't help at all.

"Y-You sick …! You can't eat me like that! TENSAAAA!" A disappointed rumble could be heard as it decided to use its last resort. With a soft cooing sound, it gave a soft peck to the berry's cheek, only leaving him more confused than ever. That had to be the weirdest hollow in the world. Realising the beast wouldn't eat or hurt him - _yet_ \- he turned around in the embrace to basically sit in its lap. Confusion was creeping on his face, that was so odd and now that he had a closer look at it, something clicked. The mask seemed familiar, it was something about the shape, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He was so sure he had seen it before. Weren't hollow masks unique?

The creature purred happily since its owner seemed to have calmed down. Realizing that the kiss must have helped, the only smart solution in its mind was to continue till his master would actually smile at it. So without further disruptions it started to smoother Ichigo's face with soft pecks, purring loudly.

"Agh, what the hell! Stop it, what is wrong with you?! Get yourself another Hollow for this crap!" Ichigo huffed as he was nearly being crushed by the Hollow's hold. He accepted that he would never get out of it, (at least, not without help. . . where was Tensa?). Ichigo's mind started to wander to thoughts that he could've bet 50 bucks on just _yesterday_ that he never would have asked them in his entire life. But now? _'Wait a minute… C-can hollows behave like this? Can they have partners? Oh god._ ' When the revelation hit him he started to struggle: "DEAR GOD! I AM NO HOLLOW! You can't have kids with me, I am a male you idiot! And even if I wasn't, I would never-!"

"Well, well, what do we have here?" An all too familiar, echoic voice sounded. "My, my, I-chi-go, got yerself in a bit of situation, no?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Hoho, Ichigo sure is in a tight spot... Who might the newcomer be?**

Chapter 4

Ichigo squeezed his eyes shut and released an annoyed groan. _'What now?'_ he thought. He couldn't see, the Hollow's hand covering his eyes and half his face, but Ichigo could still recognize that voice anyway.

A little chuckle echoed through the inner world. "Quite the cuddling party here, nee? And I was not invited? I am hurt." The voice clearly held some form of mocking sarcasm that sounded only too familiar to the orange-head. This echoed voice, sounding like two people speaking the same time, kind of like a spooky Halloween effect which was added to his own voice - there was only one person he knew that could sound that way.

He maybe couldn't see at the moment and was basically defenseless but that didn't stop him from cursing rather loudly: "Why the hell are _you_ in here fucking Hollow? Get your white ass out of my dream!"

The person crocked his head to the side and crackled quietly. "White? I know you and I aren't the most tanned people in the world, but I wouldn't consider myself white. Pale at most, really now I-chi-go, how rude."

Now Ichigo was really confused, which only made him irritated. He wrapped both hands around the Hollow's arm and yanked as hard as he could - freeing his face once and for all of the monster's hold. Brown eyes blinked open, taking a moment to adjust once more the bright sun of his Inner World. When Ichigo's gaze landed on the third party which had joined his dream, Ichigo's jaw fell open.

That certainly wasn't the person - or better hollow - he had expected. No, it wasn't the white as snow hollow with the face-splitting grin, even though this person matched the shit-eating grin rather well. You could say it was basically the same. The person was… himself? But with half of his face covered by his hollow mask. How… strange to say at least. This dream couldn't get any worse now, could it?

"What the. . ?" Ichigo questioned, more to himself. He recognized those orange spikes from every morning he glanced in the mirror, and that Shihakusho billowing in the wind too, although he'd never seen it on himself before. (The Soul Society didn't have mirrors, did they? Ichigo would have to check next time he visited.) Either way, the only time he'd ever really seen himself was in his mirror, so this 3D version of himself was creating all kinds of new anxieties for the strawberry.

This couldn't be real, but here he was. "What the hell are you, why is there a copy of myself and why do you have a Hollow mask?! Argh, why am I even asking? This dream sucks. I hope I wake up soon. I'd rather do my blasted homework than deal with this mess."

"Dream?" The other questioned, then a slight chuckle escaped his lips. Aww, how cute, the owner of this Inner World thought he was dreaming! _'This gives me an idea,'_ the Hollow thought. _'I can toy with him and he'll be less-likely to protest this way!'_

"Really now you are so cruel to me," the partial Hollow huffed, folding his arms. "First, you tear of half of my mask and threw it away, and now you are so rude to me. Do you even have any idea how much that _hurt_?! This mask is basically one with my skin and you decide to just _rip_ it off. You are such a cruel bastard." To be more dramatic the hollowed version of himself decided to touch half of his unmasked face and posed with a hurtful face.

Ichigo blinked, a mixture of guilt and still some annoyance filling his chest. The Full Hollow behind him felt his discomfort and wrapped both arms around Ichigo again. It hummed and poured some soothing Spiritual Pressure out into the air in order to help its master. Ichigo found himself relaxing slightly against it, but as soon as he noticed, Ichigo tried to get away from the monster once again.

"E-Enough of this!" Ichigo protested, wiggling in the Hollow's arms and shooting a soft glare at his masked self. "I just want to find Zangetsu so I can get out of this weird dream! So, hands off!"

The Full Hollow currently hugging Ichigo began to whimper. It released Ichigo and crawled away from him on all-fours. About halfway to masked Ichigo, it turned back to look at Ichigo, with watery eyes. Ichigo gulped - could Hollows even cry? He watched it curl up behind the half masked Ichigo and hug his right leg. _'This is perfect,'_ Half masked Ichigo thought as he began to pet the Hollow. He turned to Ichigo with a fake glare, "Now look what you've done!"

The berry was glad he finally had control over his movements again, finally! But that joy was short lived. Maybe he felt a little guilty, but only a little! He knew he wasn't the friendliest person in the world, but he still felt rather bad for making the bigger hollow whimper. After all, it hadn't really done anything to him, right? It just… showered him with its affection? He folded his arms and looked to the side. Out of instinct he felt like saying 'I am sorry.' However, that was against the Substitute Shinigami's pride! He wouldn't say that to a blasted Hollow, nonono and ten million times no! And saying sorry in his own dream? No way in hell! If he couldn't control himself waking up then at the very least he was going to keep control over his own actions and refuse to apologize!

"He just wanted to hug you, Ichigo!" his half masked self continued, making Ichigo's guilt worsen. Little did Ichigo know, both Hollows had caught onto each other's intentions and had concocted this plan together. Even though the beast wasn't completely intelligent (it was pure instinct, after all) it was still better at reading emotions that Ichigo clearly was!

Slowly, the beast nodded, as if to prove its innocence. As innocent as a hollow with two devil-like horns and skull hollow mask could look.

Masked Ichigo spoke again, "Did it hurt you? No! So clearly it didn't deserve your verbal abuse. And you should apologize and let it hug you all it wants! Annnnnd, you should also apologize to me, since you hurt my feelings so many times." His tone playing the song of a wounded animal, he was such a good actor. Though he had to admit, it was hard hiding his grin. He knew if the beast behind him wanted to laugh he could do whatever he wanted. How nice it would be to have a mask that covered his entire face in such situations.

You could see how the orange-head's determination was melting away. He looked again to the side. He couldn't meet the other two's eyes. "I-I mean…uhm…" Now what should he do? Should he really apologize to the two hollows? Was he even allowed to do that? He bit on his lip and started to chew on it in a thinking manner. Ichigo _supposed_ he could do anything and get away with it, since this was his dream.

Looking at the troubled teen made the half masked hollow laugh on the inside. Oh he knew he had won this fight of minds. He knew this fool was way too nice to let a "poor and hurt" person alone. He knew that, even if both of them were hollows, this guy's heart was wayyyy too big for his own good.

Ichigo muttered something in his shoulder, looking terribly uncomfortable.

A orange eyebrow was lifted (maybe even two, but you couldn't tell what the fully masked Hollow was doing under it anyways). "What did ya say there Ichi, I couldn't quite hear ya?" He pointed to his fellow Hollow. "I don't think it did either."

Chewing on his lips like gum, the berry muttered again. "I said… I am sorry?" Well it was more a question than an apology, really.

Crocking his half-masked face to the side, the hollows version of himself didn't really seem pleased, not at all. "Oh my, what a _wonderful_ and _heartwarming_ apology. I am moved to tears, really! You're the worst, Kurosaki Ichigo! What a half-assed apology is that?!" With that he petted the beast's head in a soothing manner. The Vasto Lorde seemed to catch up with the plan and started hanging its head.

The half-masked teen wanted to giggle like mad, he got him!

Now, now, we all know what a big-hearted fool Ichigo was as he signed in defeat. He felt _terrible_. He inhaled sharply and looked up again. "L-look I am really sorry, okay? I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." A pleased rumble could be heard from the beast, that was so sweet to hear from his owner. Ichigo looked at his half masked self and hoped that he would be fine with his apology this time. But he wouldn't say anything. Ichigo gulped as he thought, ' _What else does he want, geeez?_ ' So the teen did the last thing he could think of. He carefully tiptoed to the beast and kneeled down to his height. With a heavy sigh he decided to hug the bigger hollow lightly. "I am sorry I hurt your feelings. You didn't do anything, so, I am sorry."

It took the Vasto Lorde two seconds to turn Ichigo's world upside down as it returned the hug in a crushing manner. It threw itself on the surprised teen; rolling on him and purring in a satisfied tone. Being somewhat sandwiched between the ground and the beast, Ichigo tried to pat his shoulder, saying "It's alright" while sweat dropping. ' _I bet if it was a dog the tail would wiggle now._ ' Looking conflicted he spoke this time very carefully: "Uhmm, hey eh you how about you get off? You are crushing my lungs here."

Well the hollow certainly had other plans and the half-masked hollow couldn't hold his insane giggles as the bigger one decided to just roll on the side so the excuse 'You crush my lungs' wouldn't count. Now that it made sure the orange-head could properly breath it laid on his back with the strawberry on his chest. Said strawberry made a sour face. ' _Awesome, now I am back to the beginning and even had to humiliate myself._ ' The hollowed version held his stomach, this was too hilarious to him.

Ichigo shot a scowl at his half-masked self. _'Gee, someone seems to be enjoying himself. . .'_ the berry thought sourly. He would have folded his arms if he were able to move that much.

With a grin, Ichigo's other self leaned in close to the two 'cuddling'. "Ne, Ichi, ya think he would like a kiss?" The half Hollow nodded to himself. "Yeah, a kiss would make it real happy! That's a true way to prove that you're sorry!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Whew, we left on a bit of a cliffhanger last time, eh?**

Chapter 5

Ichigo turned his face very slowly to the side, with a facial expression that only said one thing: you can't be fucking serious. ' _The hell I will be kissing a hollow! Apologizing was bad enough!_ '

"Now, now!" The half Hollow _tsked._ He leaned over Ichigo in the same way a teacher would lean over a misbehaving student. "Don't be like that, Ichigo! Unless ya want to make us both upset again!"

"T-That's cheating! You are playing so dirty! Don't you have any mercy?" He should kiss a Hollow? Really now. This was getting out of hand! Should he do that? Well, after all, it was just a mask so _technically_ he wouldn't really be kissing it, righttt? It was like kissing a stone, right? Well, at least to think that way made Ichigo feel better. So, with a sour face that spoke for itself 'I don't want to', he braced himself.

Ichigo squeezed his eyes shut and leaned towards the full Hollow. ' _Here goes nothing._ ' If the poor boy hadn't squeezed his eye shut he would have seen the grinning face _under_ the mask. After all, the hollow had no problem simply opening the mouth part of his mask. Ichigo was expecting a cold and hard feeling, since the mask looked like it was made from bone. What he didn't expect was soft skin on his own lips. His eyes snapped open with the unexpected touch, his head snapped back as well, only to look at a pale and grinning pair of lips - looking rather happy mind you.

Ichigo could hear his half Hollow self laughing. He spun around and brown eyes fell on gold which were heavy with tears from laughing so hard. Ichigo swore the other might've had a heart attack (wait, did he have a heart? A hole attack then?). Ichigo scowled at him and snapped, "Are you happy now!?"

Only laughter was the other's answer, so yes, he was obviously happy.

This only infuriated the orangette more. ' _I hope you fall over and die, idiot._ ' Wiggling one arm free, he wiped over his lips. Disgusting. Where was a toothbrush when you need it? Never again would he do anything for this asshole and never again would he kiss a hollow! (Oh if he only knew.)

As the half Hollow caught his breath, he wobbled across the skyscraper to sit next to Ichigo and the full Hollow. The half Hollow slowly pet the full Hollow's head. "Good job. Thank you." It purred under his touch. The half Hollow shot a grin at Ichigo. "Now, Hollow-san here ain't gonna let you go unless I get my kiss too, ain't that right?"

Ichigo pouted. "No way! Not happening! Forget it!" The half masked one looked rather sour. If the Vasto Lorde can have a kiss why couldn't he have one too? That was only fair, he would get one too, no matter what the original Ichigo was thinking!

"Ne, Ichi, yer not picking favourites, are ya?" A tan hand moved over Ichigo's shoulder. As their faces drew nearer, Ichigo began to panic. "Because, if ya are, then I guess I'll just have to 'step up my game'."

"N-No!" Ichigo protested, with his cheeks warm like a fire. "I'm not picking favourites! I promise!" ' _As if there would be a favourite hollow!_ ' Ichigo bit his bottom lip, chewing as he thought carefully. He finally mumbled, "Just one kiss, right? Then I'm free to go?" Guess he had to break his own promise he made to himself just seconds ago, way to go. "This is my dream and I get ordered around, why does life hate me so much?"

Grinning, the half masked one drew the teen's face close. "Because it's ya, and yer always in trouble. And to answer yer question, yes then you are free to go. So~ Do we have a deal, I-chi-go?" Oh how Ichigo wished there was a wall to hit his head on multiple times so he could knock himself out, but of course there wasn't any close enough.

The Hollowed version grinned silly in his face, waiting for his kiss. Ichigo, thinking he is a smartass, just decided he would break the world record in shortest kiss. The hollow had said he wanted one, fine, but not how long. That was his wormhole. He sighed. "F-Fine, come here then and get this over with, so I can go somewhere else."

Moving his head faster than ever, he more pecked then kissed his hollow self on the lips, but he put more force on the masked side. The less he touched the real lips, the better. The masked one looked not pleased at all, that was a rather cheap trick. He didn't expect such things from the original. He had to admit that was rather smart. But he wouldn't get outsmarted by the original!

"Happy now? I gave you what you wanted so tell the big one to let go now!"

"Hmm," the half Hollow hummed. Ichigo could see anger mixed with mischievousness in the other's eyes and he gulped. The half Hollow leaned in again, his lips close to the orangette's ear, enough to make Ichigo shiver. "Naw, the deal wasn't for just _any_ ol' kiss, I wanted _my_ kiss. Now, yer gonna deliver or I'm gonna leave ya in the hands of this Hollow ferever."

"But I gave you one! You said you would let me go!" He started to panic, why couldn't they just let him go? Why do dream versions of himself need kisses and affection? He had to be insane, that was the only solution why he would dream such nonsense.

The masked one sneered angrily: "Don't think I am a dumbass like other Hollows, I said I wanted a kiss. And to make it more clear for you, glorious king of this world: I want a real one, on the lips. No cheap deal! Not just a peck on my masked side, don't you dare think I didn't notice that!"

Ichigo felt himself shrink beneath the other's angered tone. And great, he was feeling guilty again! As to make things worse, the Hollow hugging him started pushing Ichigo closer to his half masked counterpart. Ichigo scowled and let loose an annoyed huff. There really was no getting out of this unless he gave the other what he wanted!

' _If there is a God, or Soul King… Please let me wake up!_ ' A few seconds passed but nothing happened. Seemed like God or the Soul King didn't have mercy on his poor soul.

The masked one didn't want to wait anymore, the lips he wished to claim just a centimetre apart from him and the owner of them completely helpless to deny him. So with a happy grin he just grabbed the back of Ichigo's head and crushed their lips together, he was tired of waiting on the prude anyway.

Ichigo didn't have time to gasp as his lips were sealed over. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the feeling of the other's lips on his own in order to deny what was happening. Then he felt his half Hollow self's lips tighten into a grin. Ichigo knew immediately that he was in trouble.

The half Hollow was happy with the kiss, but now he needed his revenge. He opened his lips and took in Ichigo's bottom lip, sucking on it gently. He heard a squeak and felt Ichigo's hand on his chest. Even tho the teen applied quite the strength his bare power wasn't even close to moving the Hollow. The half Hollow might've been upset with Ichigo pushing away if it wasn't for the berry's perfectly red face! Oh my, how wonderful that he'd gotten such a reaction out of the, obviously virgin, king of this world!

For once in his life, Ichigo didn't have an angry remark. He was stunned into silence! That was quite the achievement. So the masked one pulled back with a grin and let out an evil laugh. After a few seconds, the red-headed king muttered, embarrassed, to the side: "Now tell him t-to let go okay? You got what you wanted right?"

Oh, how the masked one wanted to tackle the king to the ground and lick off the alluring blush from his face, but a deal was a deal. He may have an evil and twisted mind, but he wasn't a liar. So, with a nod of his head, the bigger Hollow finally let go, but it didn't forget to give his owner quite the strong squeeze before letting go.

Not even one second later, the berry stood up, standing on his legs which felt a little weird after sitting or rather being squeezed for so long. Now that the Vasto Lorde decided to actually stand tall as well, Ichigo gulped once again. This thing was really huge and intimidating, the big horns made it look even bigger. Now that the owner of the world was thinking about it… How the hell did he even had the courage to yell at something like that while being unarmed?

' _Finally! I really have had enough of this, at least Tensa didn't want anything, bless his soul! Time to find Zangetsu, I'd rather not find out what else these Hollows want._ ' With that in mind, he quickly turned on the spot and decided no matter where Zangetsu was, he wasn't going to walk in the direction where those two were standing.

Honestly, he didn't really feel like walking, no, more like running and fast! Anything so he could get away from those perverted Hollows. Never again did he want to see their faces - or masks - again!

"Where ya going, Ichigo?" The half Hollow called, following Ichigo from building to building. Not far behind them was the full Hollow, who seemed to be keeping up with ease. It was, after all, stronger and faster than both other Ichigos.

Looking over his shoulder, the king of this world shouted angrily behind him, "Stop following me! You said you would let me go after this crap, so get lost!"

"We did let ya go! Doesn't mean we can't follow ya!" the half Hollow cackled. If there was an angry-o-meter for Ichigo the scale wouldn't be enough to measure his current mood. 15/10 - one angry strawberry! The anger made him even as red as one. What was even more annoying to him was the fact that they didn't even really tried, he could see they didn't use sonido or flashstep so if they really wanted to catch him they wouldn't just run. They were toying with him, knowing that he was mad and ready to burst like a volcano!

Ichigo, still looking backwards, mixed up his footing. He just missed the edge of the next skyscraper and would've fallen if he hadn't of collided with a somewhat squishy object. He groaned, his head pounding from the impact. Ichigo closed his eyes, everything spinning and his head feeling like it was going to explode. He felt arms pick him up and a voice murmur, "You should be more careful." Ichigo opened his eyes to see double vision of his Inner World before he decided keeping them closed would be better. Or else he would see 4 Hollows and that's something he would rather not.


	6. Chapter 6

**Who is the mysterious new person the berry run into? Read and find out!**

Chapter 6

Ichigo decided that laying down and just letting the world spin was the best option. Maybe, if he concentrated hard enough, he would knock himself out. He couldn't deal with more people. This world was supposed to have two souls here and, when he visited, three, but not more! Even just the usual two were too much for Ichigo to handle.

Yes, just giving up and letting his body rest was an amazing idea. The spinning slowly ceased but he was way to comfortable to even move from his spot. Whoever he had collided with didn't seem mad at him since there was no cursing or anything. No, the person decided to just pet his head and go through his hair with his fingers.

The king was way too lazy to open his eyes. He already had an idea who the person was anyways. It had to be Zangetsu, who else was so tender and nice to him? No one! He could cry tears of joy he had finally found the only person who could save him from this mess. But that didn't mean he wouldn't take his time to relish in the feeling of comfort.

That's why Zangetsu was always his favourite. He may be a grumpy old man that didn't say a lot but he never did anything bad to him. Okay, maybe sometimes the Zanpakuto was a little odd and the fact that he always had wind blowing around him wasn't normal either… But he still liked him the most!

Boy, was Ichigo in for a shock.

"He seems happy," Ichigo heard his half Hollow self speak.

"Good," he heard his half Hollow self speak again. "He needs to rest every once in awhile, especially with all this stress he's been putting on himself. Idiot."

Ichigo pouted at being called an 'idiot', but the anger soon faded as the fingers in his hair soothed him once more. Curiosity was also beginning to get the better of him. Why was the half Hollow talking to himself? Or had the full Hollow suddenly learned to talk? On the other hand, he wouldn't be surprised if the half masked one was insane and would talk to himself. But why even bother? The two perverts can stay where they are as long as he could relax and ignore them.

"How is he sleeping? With us he struggled like mad and with you he is tame like a lamb, how are you doing that, Shiro?"

As soon as the word 'Shiro' left the mouth of the half masked one, Ichigo's eyes snapped open once again. Zangetsu wouldn't be nicknamed Shiro, Shiro meant white after all. And the old man was far beyond white. Kuro as nickname he would understand, or sunglasses, but not Shiro! Anyway, Ichigo's eyes fell onto the being that just _had_ to belong to the name. None other than his bastard Inner Hollow. Ichigo scooted away, a couple meters at least, but it still wasn't enough space between him and Shiro to make him feel comfortable. To make him feel safe the hollow should be at least on the other side of the globe, or better somewhere else. Hueco Mundo, he should be there!

The newly dubbed 'Shiro' sent a lopsided grin at his King. "Well, good mornin' sleeping beauty. How's yer head? That was a good hit ya got against my chest. Then ya fell right into my arms, how cute, Kingy~!"

That wasn't fun anymore. Why for fucks sake did _he_ have to be here? Pointing his finger at the palest of the trio, he started to stutter. This couldn't be. One Hollow was enough, two was beyond everything, but _three_?! And of course it just had to be _him._ "Y-you, but…. but…" Now he started to get angry, very angry. "H-How many fucking hollows are here!? Ten, twenty?! Oh wait… I don't want to know! Get lost all of you. Just leave! Get out of my dream, I have had enough of you Hollows…!"

Holding his own head in his hands, he could feel a headache creeping up on him and his head also felt warm. He felt like crying, not even in his own dreams he could relax and find peace. Today he had too much of relaxing only to have adrenaline pumping through his body a few seconds later, because someone bothered or scared him. He was beyond exhausted. His body wasn't a machine that could work without breaks, he was just human after all.

He decided to stand up and he wobbled a few meters, using a skyscraper to lean on. But his strength was all used up. Why couldn't they be somewhere else so he could just sit down and have a nap..?

"Oi, King! You were enjoying yourself earlier. How 'bout ya let me hold ya again?" Shiro teased with an over-dramatic wink.

"Not a chance on your life!" The strawberry spat, leaning heavily against the closer skyscraper. He kept hobbling away. "Or mine, for that matter! I know how sneaky you are, you devil!"

Shiro gasped playfully and placed a hand over his heart. "That hurt my feelings, Ichi!"

A scowl appeared on Ichigo's lips. He took a step back as Shiro took a step closer. With a sneer, Ichigo snapped, "Since when could you feel?"

Shiro flinched. Okay, these words actually kind of stung a little. His hand fell off his chest and Shiro looked down at the ground. "Ouch, King. . . yer breakin' my heart."

"What heart!? You literally got a _hole_."

To prove him wrong, Shiro shrugged off his Shihakusho and let it fall, revealing no hole in his chest. Ichigo was stunned. ' _No hole?_ ' But that's what a Hollow was: A heartless monster, emphasis on _without_ a heart. But Shiro wasn't normal either if he was thinking about it. He lacked a mask too, like he had seen on many Hollows. Even the Arrancars had a piece of a mask and those where the most human-like Hollows he could think of.

' _Fine he has no hole, but it's still a dream so honestly I don't fucking care! I hope I really hurt his feelings, hmpf!_ ' He folded his arms together and looked to the side like a defiant child. He once lost the fight of wills and apologized once. Oh no, he wouldn't do it twice! (He didn't count apologizing to the full Hollow as losing.)

The full Hollow started whimpering again and Shiro sighed, petting him gently. "It's okay, _Ogichi,_ the King doesn't care about me anyway, never did and never will. It doesn't matter to him if he hurts me. At the end of the day, all that matters is that he has my power so he can protect his precious friends. He doesn't care to say 'hey' to us every once in awhile, nor does he even care about us enough to give us names."

"He doesn't even care enough to learn the names we gave ourselves!" The half masked Ichigo added, his tone full of sorrow. He turned his head to the side in yet another dramatic pose - which Ichigo would surely fall for again.

Ichigo slowly stopped in his tracks. He groaned and turned around to face them. No he wouldn't lose again… He… He would. Damn it. He always would, damn him being nice. With a deep sigh, Ichigo asked, "So, what _are_ your names?" ' _Not that I really care…_ ' He tried to make himself believe it. But now he was actually curious. He knew the Arrancar gave themselves names but they had to. I mean… They couldn't yell Hollow at each other all the time. That wouldn't work.

The half Hollow covered his mouth and locked his eyes on the ground. Damn, not laughing was hard! Shiro, on the other hand, was a master of deception. He stuck his nose up in the air with a fake pout and muttered, "Mine's Shiro. And this is Ogichi. And this is Hichigo."

Ichigo blinked and a single orange brow curved upward. _'What kind of names were those?'_ he wanted to ask, but for fear of getting guilted again, he simple said, "So, how did you come up with those names?"

Shiro snorted and turned to face Ichigo. "What, it ain't obvious?" He saw Ichigo scowl and he chuckled softly. "Well, my name's obvious, ain't it? 'Shiro', the opposite of ya, 'Kuro'-saki. Then Hichigo is the 'H' from Hollow, an' yer name, o'course, yer _majesty._ Then Ogichi is yer name backwards, since this Hollow likes ya so much. Dunno why though, since yer so rude, a pain in the ass, and a _bad_ ruler."

The berry bit his lip, not only because he felt terrible, but also because he felt like laughing for once. _'Those names are ridiculous! Couldn't you come up with something more creative?'_ He almost let that slip, almost. But he decided that wouldn't be smart to say.

He feared if they really got angry he wouldn't survive for two seconds. (The fact that he was unprotected in polka dot PJs didn't help at all.)The deep rumble that didn't sound happy coming from the beast- _Ogichi_ made him feel a little bad. Despite this Hollow looking the most terrifying out of the three, he was probably the easiest to deal with since he was just like a dog. He just hugged him, the dirty work was actually the half masked one's fault, oh excuse him, _Hichigo's_ fault.

Hichigo was as bad as the self-dubbed Shiro, terrible and cunning devils! They could kiss Ichigo's ass by all means, but he better not say that out loud, the half masked one would do it in the end. He shuddered. No thanks, that's something he certainly wouldn't let happen!


	7. Chapter 7

**Seems like the strawberry is in a tight spot! Three Hollows VS one polka dot wearing Ichigo, oh my!**

Chapter 7

So, what should he do now? Ichigo honestly had no clue. He was standing all alone against three strong Hollows. Thousands of possibilities were running through his head. He could try to run, but that wouldn't work. He could apologize, but he would be damned if he did that, and he wouldn't survive another round of kisses. So many ideas, but none would actually help him. If he just could wake up…

To sum it all up, Ichigo really felt bad for the big guy, but the other two could screw themselves! So, with a sigh, he decided he would make it up to the innocent one, but not the other two! Damn, here he was, apologizing again. He should really stop trying to make promises to himself - his pride was already stomped on anyway. Locking his eyes on Ogichi, he extended his hand in his direction and stuttered, "Ehh… Ogichi." The Hollow that was spoken to rose his head in curiosity. His master was actually talking to him? What a delight! "C-could you come over for a second… please?" He added the please in an afterthought. Better to be safe than sorry!

The two more intelligent Hollows looked at each other, confused. What was the teen planning now? They both just saw how Ogichi happily trotted over to Ichigo only to stand right infront of him. With a deep breath the berry braced himself, he grabbed the slightly bigger one's hand and pulled him down to his height, whispering something in his ear, but it was too quiet for the other two to hear.

"The hell is he doin'?" Asked a confused Hichigo, but even Shiro had no answer to that as he just kept staring. My, his king surely had something planned.

They only heard a loud purr as the beast decided to rub his head against the teen seemingly very pleased. As Ichigo pulled slightly on the monster's hand to get it to move, he looked at the other two with a sharp glance. "Stay right where you are." Both of them looked dumbstruck as they just saw Ichigo walk to the end of the skyscraper with Ogichi right behind him.

Now they had some privacy and the king was sure no one heard them - like hell the others would hear him apologize - he looked the big hollow straight in the eyes. "Look, I'm sorry for being rude to you. You seem like a decent guy… eh Hollow, whatever. So then, big guy, why do you even listen to them? I bet you don't really want the same things they do?" After a minute of silence the teen could hear a deep humming noise, nothing else. "Do you even understand what I tell you?"

No reply.

The orange-head sighed. It seemed like the Hollow didn't understand him, but it was seemingly pleased that he had apologized since it started poking his head again with its own in a tender manner. The Substitute Shinigami sighed with a chuckle. ' _Just like an animal._ ' While talking more or less to himself, he absently petted its head. "But you must have a face under there, all Hollows do. And you are so human-like… You have to be a higher-class Hollow, so why don't you talk, Ogichi?"

While he was thinking, he felt two arms snake around him again, this Hollow really loved hugs, it was a mystery! He was worse than Nel! But at least this time the embrace wasn't crushing him so he could wiggle out of it whenever he wanted, but now his curiosity got the better out of him. He really wanted to know what was under that mask. He needed to know!

Ichigo reached around the Hollow's mask and tugged gently to see if the mask would come loose. Of course, it didn't work, and Ichigo hadn't expected it to, but he was still disappointed. Ichigo huffed and reached under the mask, near Ogichi's chin, and as he tried to take the mask off he ended up scratching under the Hollow's chin. The Hollow purred and growled softly, almost like laughter.

Ichigo's eyebrows bunched together in confusion. Was the Hollow. . . ticklish? Ichigo found himself laughing too as he continued to tickle the creature (boy was this dream ever weird).

"Enjoyin' yerself?" Shiro questioned, his arms folded and the corner of his lip raised in an entertained smirk.

Ichigo gulped and blushed bright red from being caught. He shook his head in order to focus and quickly folded his arms. "It's not what it looks like! I was trying to see under his mask! Also, why are you following me!?"

Shiro left Hichigo behind as he hopped closer to Ichigo and Ogichi. Shiro slung his arm around Ichigo's shoulders before the orangette had a chance to run off again. "Yer such a fool, King. What, did ya think we were just gonna let ya wander off? This is the most entertainment that's been in yer boring Inner World for years. Also, if ya wanted the mask off, then ya should've just asked me." Shiro picked off a piece of dirt on his shoulder and flicked it away before returning his focus to Ichigo.

The King scowled and pushed Shiro's arm off of himself. He huffed and stood behind Ogichi, separating himself from the two cunning Hollows. "As if I need your help, baka! And I'm not here to entertain you! I'm still trying to leave!"

Hichigo rolled his eyes. Seriously, this was _painful._ "Yeah, Ichigo," he muttered, "it's not like we've saved your life more times than you can count or anything." But Hichigo couldn't really complain, after all, he'd gotten his apology for those times earlier with that delightful kiss from the berry. He smirked a little at the thought, even more so that Shiro didn't have this information and he would be more than happy to tell him about it. This gave Hichigo an idea. "You know, if you gave Ogichi another kiss, I betcha his mask would open up."

Ichigo frowned and put his arms up in the shape of an 'X'. Ogichi spun around, seemingly excited by the idea. Ichigo took a step back as the Hollow moved closer. "N-No!" Ichigo protested, "I'm not doing that again!"

"Again?" Shiro suddenly questioned, his interest increased. When Ichigo saw the large grin plastered on Shiro's face, he knew his life was officially _over._ Ichigo was about to die from embarrassment, and there was nothing he could do about it since he couldn't outrun Shiro, at least not in this form. _Not in polka dot PJs._

"D-Don't even think about it!" Ichigo shouted in his Hollow's direction.

Shiro raised his hands 'innocently'. "Think about what, Kingy?" Shiro kept his eyes locked on Ichigo while he lowered himself down to the full Hollow's level. He hummed, his echoic voice making the song eerie as it spread through Ichigo's Inner World, making Ichigo shiver. Ichigo watched Shiro pet the Hollow, and slowly, its mask opened. Shiro smirked at Ichigo. "There, now ya wanna see what's underneath?" Ichigo would be lying if he said he wasn't curious.

The orangette took a tiny step forward. "What's the catch?" he asked, unwilling to fall for yet another trap. He narrowed his eyes on Shiro.

Shiro chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. My, his King was so cute when he was pouting! "Ain't no catch, Kingy. Except I think it's totally unfair that these two got kisses and I didn't!"

"And you won't in a thousand years!" Ichigo snapped before he pushed past Shiro and turned his attention back to the Hollow. He really wanted to know now what was underneath. Ichigo watched the Hollow slowly stand tall, and once again it was just as, if not taller, than Ichigo himself. Why must it be so gigantic in the first place?

It bowed down just enough for the smaller of the two to carefully grab the edges. And with a gentle lift the mask _finally_ came off. Ichigo was so excited he held his breath. With a quiet noise, it finally came of and the king almost dropped the mask. That couldn't be true. It would be the biggest lie in history if he stated he didn't know _that_ face. It was his own. But he looked a little weird? Its, or better, _his_ eyes were Hollow like. Gold but with a hint of his own honey brown with the usual midnight black sclera. The facial expression was lacking any sort of emotions, frozen like an alabaster statue, and a perfectly pale white like one too. He was somewhat beautiful in a haunting way.

Ogichi looked down at his non-Hollow counterpart without moving his face. The only thing that gave away it wasn't the face of a dead man was the blinking of the lidded eyes. It was like looking in a mirror that showed you when you were dead.

The teen was stunned. Never ever did he expect his own face under this mask. He knew how his - _Shiro's_ \- mask looked, and Ichigo had never seen _this_ mask before. But there was his face beneath this mask anyway.


	8. Chapter 8

**The cat is out of the bag! The face is revealed to be the same as Ichigo's, but what will Ichigo do now that he knows the truth? And will Shiro get his (goodnight) kiss?!**

Chapter 8

"I-it's … me?" Ichigo's grasp around the large Hollow mask started to get stronger, his knuckles turning white and fingers trembling. He couldn't believe it. It simply wasn't possible! "B-but why is it my face? I don't look like that! That's not even my… _your_ mask!" With that he pointed at Shiro, face full of disbelieve.

Hichigo folded his arms and his lips took the form of a mock-pout. "What? Ya don't like masks, er something, I-chi-go!?"

"Wh-Wha? No! That's not it, you damn idiot!" With that he hit the half hollow lightly on the head without thinking much about it. How could he be such an idiot? Was he really that stupid? The fact that they were all himself didn't make it any better. So, was it true that people told him he is dense? Well, fuck he now knew it. (And if these Hollows represented him, and they all wanted kisses, well, Ichigo wouldn't dare to think more on that subject.)

The half masked one held his head, rubbing the sore spot and pouting. He started to think the king liked him the least, how mean. He didn't do anything. With a sigh, he just turned to the side.

Ichigo looked back at Shiro, he wanted an explanation. So, he arched an eyebrow and waited, hoping the white devil would get it. But Shiro was just shaking his head and wiggling his finger.

"Tsk, ya hav' no idea 'bout anything, do ya, King? Of course, it's our mask! Well, guess since there wasn't any mirror… can't blame ya completely, I guess. But just ta help yer denseness: that Hollow is what ya looked like when we kicked Ulquiorra's ass. Does tha' ring a bell?"

More than an 'ah' wasn't heard for a while as the strawberry still stared somewhat absently at Ogichi's face. He had something that just made you stare. But now that he was thinking about it, why couldn't this one talk? He had a mouth and he had to have vocal cords, since he could growl and purr. The fact that he _"himself_ " purred was weird enough. Ogichi did nothing as the original decided to poke at his neck with his typical 'I am thinking face'.

"Why can't you talk?" Ogichi just looked down at him and just crocked his head a little to the side. No answer. Ichigo wanted to hit himself, that was as if he just asked a deaf person if they can hear him. He turned to Shiro, ignoring Hichigo once again. "Why won't he talk?"

' _Stop ignoring me._ ' Hichigo started to get pissed, why was the original so obsessed with Ogichi? Why did he have to ask so many questions about him? He even asked him if he picked favourites, but he clearly said no. He lied to him, that had to be it. Only because the fully hollowfied version had a bigger and complete mask. His was cool too god damn it! And why was Ichigo asking Shiro the whole time? Hichigo knew stuff too, but nooooo, Ichigo didn't give any attention to poor Hichigo.

"It's so simple King, he just can't. Ogichi was born out of yer purest instinct and desire ta protect. He cannot think two steps ahead, but he is able to observe his opponent and can read their next moves before even they know wha' their gonna do. He is simple minded, but that doesn't mean he is stupid. Ya know, he took down tha' Arrancar, and could'a done more if he wasn't stopped. He probably didn' mean ta hurt yer friend, by tha way, he was just tryna keep ya safe, like we all try to do. We don' actually _like_ seein' ya hurt, King."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes and turned a skeptical glare towards Shiro. "And what about that time you stabbed me?"

Shiro snickered. "Simple, sometimes it takes fightin' ya to get through your thick skull."

Hichigo snorted at that. Oh boy, was Shiro ever right. Ichigo was so thick-headed that you could toss a brick at him and his skull would shatter the brick. Not that Hichigo would ever do such a thing, of course, just that he was beginning to feel tempted to. Anything to get the attention he so craved from the extremely daft ruler. Was it so hard for Ichigo to even look at him? Just anything.

"I see…" Ichigo mumbled. Well that did make sense, somewhat at least. So poor Ogichi wasn't capable for a lot besides fighting. He felt truly bad for the Hollow, he must feel numb and cold. No wonder he just craved any form of contact. He was basically like a big guard dog. He didn't mean harm, he just wanted to keep himself, or better Ichigo, safe. With that conclusion in mind, Ichigo hugged Ogichi out of the blue and muttered into the bigger one's chest: "I am sorry, it must have been very lonely for you, knowing you only have one purpose but couldn't do anything else. I am sorry and thank you for protecting me when I couldn't do it myself."

The bigger one's face didn't show much but a glimmer in his eyes showed happiness and the mouth was pulled up in the tiniest smile as the pale one laid his head on the smaller one's. Sighing happily, now that the mask didn't change his voice to a growl anymore.

"Tch, well whadya know," Hichigo muttered, "the 'King' has a heart after all." With a scowl, that matched Ichigo's but Hichigo would never admit that, Hichigo thought, ' _Then why don't you give some of your heart to me?_ '

Shiro turned to Hichigo and gave him a knowing smile, almost as if saying 'I understand.'He turned back towards Ichigo and daringly rested his chin on the orange-head's shoulder. "Kingy~," he spoke with a sing-song voice, "now that ya understand a thing 'r two more than ya did five minutes ago, ya think you could give some of yer other subjects a bit more attention? We've got feelings too, yanno?"

"Ehhh, well. I guess I am sorry I said that you don't have feelings Shiro?" Hichigo expected Ichigo to turn to him next, but there was nothing besides silence. Now that was enough for Hichigo, was it really _that_ hard to say anything to him? He was here too! Sure, he wasn't as strong as the other two, but he was still awesome! Why wouldn't his king give him any credit? You could almost see the steam rising out of Hichigo's head. He was really mad now.

Hichigo grabbed his king from behind and hugged his waist, while growling angrily: "Stop ignorin' me. All ya do is play with Ogichi and ask Shiro for things. I am here too! It's Ogichi's mask isn't it!? You like it better because it's bigger than mine?"

"What?" Ichigo questioned, trying to turn around to face Hichigo. "N-No, that's not-" But he wouldn't have any time to argue before Shiro interrupted him, a shit-eating grin suddenly filling Ichigo's vision.

"He's righ'," Shiro chimed in, slowly hugging Ichigo from the other side so the berry was now sandwiched between two Hollows. "You've been ignorin' us, Ichi. Ya expected to get all those answers for free? An' I haven' even gotten a kiss yet!" With that, he cast a charming smile towards Ichigo, expecting to get a kiss right now.

Ichigo's legs felt like pudding. Maybe he would just pass out from embarrassment and he would be saved from all this weird attention? But, of course, this 'dream' was against Ichigo, and he wasn't getting out of this situation so easily!

"N-no way! I have had enough kisses for years! I don't need more of those! And especially not _yours_! I really don't wanna kiss Hollows anymore and you are all _guys_! I am not gay like you! Why are you even asking me?! I'm not gay! Dear Kami what's next, transgender Hollows!?"

' _But, we are you. . .'_ Hichigo thought simply, narrowing his eyes on the back of Ichigo's head. _'And if there was a transgender Hollow in 'ere, then that would mean part o' yer gender is female. But there ain't, obviously. Quit bein' so blind, dumbass.'_

"Don't be such a kid, King!" Shiro winked, leaning in close to the blushing berry's face. "I'll give ya a good kiss, promise! And it's not like ya have a girlfriend or anything ta kiss ya outside of yer dreams anyway." Shiro cackled, toying with Ichigo was just too easy! And way too much fun! "This could be yer only chance!"

"H-hey! I don't… why would you even think that!? Even so, stop looking into my dreams, asshat! Ever heard of privacy!?"

"Ain' no such thing between all of us in 'ere, King," Shiro mocked, inching even closer to the berry's face while Ichigo was distracted in his rage. "We live in yer head, remember? We can see _everything~_ "

' _Everything?!_ ' Well that wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear. Better not even think of what they could have seen! "Y-you better h-haven't seen anything private!"

It took Shiro three seconds to whisper stuff into his ear that made the teen blush till he was red as a strawberry. Shit! He really knew _everything_!

Ichigo's legs wobbled. Oh dear, he was ready to pass out now, but then he'd be at the mercy of these Hollows who, _apparently,_ knew way more than they had led on! Ichigo closed his eyes and lowered his head, almost hiding his face in Shiro's neck before he remembered just what type of person Shiro was and his head sprung back up.

This was it, the moment Shiro and Hichigo had been waiting for. . . Ichigo was like putty in their arms! Without waiting another second, they both leaned in and placed first a kiss on both of Ichigo's cheeks. Then Hichigo snuggled the back of Ichigo's neck, letting the berry's deep chocolate scent to fill his nose. While Shiro finally got his kiss, right on Ichigo's lips!

Ichigo squeezed his eyes shut, blocking out the feeling of Shiro's lips on his own, why always him, and - wait - was that Hichigo's lips on his neck? Dear Soul King, have mercy! Ichigo tried his best to ignore both of them before suddenly a tongue appeared at his lips. Ichigo would curse himself later for the squeak he released and for gasping instead of keeping his lips shut, since that allowed Shiro to shove his tongue right in.

Ichigo trembled, but only slightly in fear. No, no, he wouldn't even admit it, but the attention, the care. . . it kinda felt nice? He felt Hichigo hug him tighter and place more kisses on his neck, and Ichigo's heartbeat quickened as Shiro's tongue played with his own. Ichigo almost let a groan slip but he caught it before the sound could be heard. As if he would stroke either Hollow's egos more than he already had - they were too much for him to handle as they were now.

Shiro left Ichigo breathless after he pulled away. And when they both stepped back, Ichigo suddenly felt cold. Maybe Ichigo had enjoyed their attention more than he had thought? But of course, Ichigo wasn't going to admit it. "W-Well?" Ichigo questioned. "S-Satisfied now?" Why was his voice so shaky, damn it?

He just wished someone would come and help him. His hormones had to be playing pranks on him, never would he actually enjoy this! The fact that Ogichi had a glimmer in his eyes told him he actually wanted a 'piece of the cake' too (the strawberry cake). Please anyone, save him! And this time his plea was actually heard! A lone figure was standing at the horizon. Ichigo wasn't quite sure who it was, since all he saw was black, so it was probably Zangetsu right? This time for real!


	9. Chapter 9

**Our poor boy got more kisses than he will ever need! But will the new person be his hero in black armour, will it be Zangetsu?!**

 **Also, I'm uplaoding this from mobile since my laptop is packed for school tomorrow... please forgive any formatting errors. I promise I will fix them with the release of Chapter 10 (once I have a break from homework to upload it... College is starting again so expect updates to slow down).**

 **Update: Fixed some minor grammatical errors.**

Chapter 9

With the idea of freedom in his head, Ichigo started to yell at the person in the distance that seemed to come closer with each passing second. This gave Ichigo some hope. "Hey! Z-Zangetsu, help me! Please, old man! I really c-could use some help over here!"

The figure seemed to have sensed his urgency and it moved so fast there was a blur around it. 'I am saved!' was the last thing the strawberry was thinking before he felt himself getting lifted suddenly. Someone had grabbed him around the waist and lifted him out of the Hollows' grip. He only heard two 'Heys' and a growl as he was suddenly in someone's arms.

Looking up, he expected to see the familiar face of the old man: morning beard, sunglasses, and hollowed cheekbones. But, oh wonder, it wasn't Zangetsu holding him in his arms.

It was a long-haired young man whose hair was black as the night. He also had two ruby eyes which stared down at Ichigo in a rather calm fashion. Some sort of mask covered half of his face. Around him was an aura of respect. Despite his mouth being covered, his voice was sharp and easy to understand.

"What do you think you are doing to Ichigo, you perverts? Don't you have anything better to do than molesting this poor boy? You can touch yourself all you want if you need it so badly, but quit taking out your sexual frustrations on Ichigo." Well, whoever this person was… damn if he wasn't right! The berry honestly didn't care who that was as long as he would save him.

"Tz, get lost Mugetsu. We don't need yer sissy ass here stealing our King. Can't ya bother someone else? Give him back."

The thought alone of getting sandwiched and touched again was enough for Ichigo to grab the bandages across Mugetsu's chest. It was a silent plea to just get hime the hell out of here, which the black haired one seemed to get as he suddenly reached max speed and run across the skyscrapers, leaving the Hollows far behind him.

When he was finally happy with the distance, Mugetsu came to a halt. Carefully, he sat Ichigo back to the ground. The berry just breathed deeply in relief and sent the seemingly older looking one a sweet smile. "Ah, thank you for rescuing me. For once I am glad seeing a new face. But… who are you?" He pulled his finger at his lips in a thinking manner.

He was sure it was probably another soul that was somewhat matted to his life as a Shinigami. A deep chuckle could be heard as the black haired one patted the orange one on the head. "Who I am? Come on Ichigo, I am sure you can recognize me, after all… I embody our biggest victory, a victory we sacrificed everything for to protect all our loved ones." Mugetsu noticed a confused look on the boy's face. "Do you remember now, Ichigo?"

Ichigo lifted his head to stare into the bloody red eyes, and searched through his memories. When was his biggest victory? Sacrificing everything, protect everyone? The only moment he could remember as that was when he finally defeated Aizen, it was a bloody and sad victory. A type of victory he never wished to have again. The victory that became sour in his memories and really became a huge loss. It taught Ichigo his hardest lesson: there was no such thing as a happy ending to war.

"The only moment I could think of is… against Aizen?" Ichigo asked.

The seemingly older one patted his head again in a praising manner and smiled under his bandages. He nodded. "Correct. Can you remember my name Ichigo?" A name? The Hollows had said this man's name. What was it? Damn. Ichigo thought back to the battle. He basically was himself fighting Aizen, and the only thing he did was use the final Getsuga Tenshou… the final - Mugetsu!

"M-Mu… Mugetsu?" The now confirmed Mugetsu smiled warmly again. The King of this world always had such big eyes when confused or unsure of something, he was really cute. So cute he wanted to eat him up. 'Wait what am I thinking?! I am not as low as this trash, I am not some Hollow, get a hold of yourself Mugetsu!' Though he couldn't lie to himself as much as he wanted: he just couldn't deny he thought Ichigo was one of the most adorable creatures he had ever laid his ruby red eyes on…

Mugetsu cleared his throat and shook his head, forcing such thoughts to the very back of his mind. "So," he spoke, trying to get his mind on a different subject, "when you saw me, you called out for Zangetsu? Are you searching for him?"

"Oh!" Ichigo hit his palm with his fist. "Yes! I was hoping Zangetsu could help me find a way out of this dream!"

Mugetsu looked away. 'Why is our owner so adorable!?' He then processed what Ichigo had said and he slowly replied, "A… dream, you said? Ichigo, this isn't a dream. Not really. I mean, it's happening within your mind, I suppose, but that does not mean what you see and feel here is not real."

A moment of silence, then… "EH!? You mean I really kissed those bastards!? What is wrong with them!? Why would they do this? Ewe! Oh no…" Ichigo buried his red face between his knees. "I can't live like this. Please, something swallow me. Ogichi, eat me or something." Ichigo immediately regretted his words, knowing that if the Hollows had heard him that they'd make it into a sex joke. Gah! Now he couldn't stop thinking the same way they do!

"Want me to take you to Old Man Zangetsu?" Mugetsu offered, trying to ease the stress that had suddenly come over his young master. He admitted he was insanely furious that those Hollows had kissed Ichigo's sweet, soft, and pink lips, but it's not like he was jealous! (Or perhaps, like Tensa, he was in denial.)

Clearing his mind, Mugetsu started to search for the old man's reiatsu. He let his own wander over the Inner World, brushing it against all souls present. He could feel the three Hollows drawing closer, a confused Tensa answering his call, and, finally, Zangetsu was found! You might wonder where he was the whole time… He was just relaxing on his favourite flag pole, like always. He was just standing there, thinking about god knows what and enjoying the wind that let his clothes and hair move around.

Mugetsu decided he had to move quickly to escape all three pedo Hollows (His sweet master was still too young for such things, in his opinion). He whispered, "brace yourself" before throwing the orange haired one over his shoulder and moving incredibly fast. He almost had to laugh since Ichigo started to cling to his torso for dear life. His human body was so fragile. It was amazing how he could stand all those fights with school bullies and his human body wasn't ruined yet.

It didn't take Mugetsu long to reach the old man. At first, Zangetsu didn't seem to notice them since whatever he was doing seemed to be very pleasant to him. He looked like a statue if it weren't for his breathing and the gentle billowing of his coat and hair in the wind. (The wind that didn't seem to exist for Ichigo and Mugetsu.)

Only when both of them stood in front of them, Zangetsu realized that there were people around him. You could barely tell but behind the stylish yellow wrap-around sunglasses, but there was a brow being lifted at the weird display of Ichigo being thrown over the shoulder of Mugetsu. The final form of their attack hadn't really shown itself after Mugetsu was created from the first time he was used, so Zangetsu was a little surprised to see them both together - especially one thrown over the shoulder of the other.

Mugetsu seemed to have forgotten that Ichigo was over his shoulder since he started to casually talk to Zangetsu. Honestly, both calm spirits seemed to be quite made for each other!

Ichigo, not very fond of being treated like a sack of potatoes and growing rather fearful of the endless drop below him off the edge of a skyscraper, began to lightly hit Mugetsu's back to get his attention. "Y-You can put me down now!" he squealed, his voice a little rough since his lungs and diaphragm were being crushed by Mugetsu's shoulder. 'Geeze, what is he made of? Bricks?'

Mugetsu's eyes opened up a little, he forgot! "My apologies, I forgot I still have you over my shoulder." Ichigo didn't even dare to ask how you 'forget' a person over your shoulder. He was aware that he wasn't fat or that many even told him he is too thin but still! 'How do you forget that?!'

Ichigo was more than relieved when he was placed back down on his own two feet. His lungs were safe for once, no crushing hugs, no shoulders squeezed, nothing. Clearing his throat, Ichigo tried to somewhat keep his pride and spoke to Zangetsu with the best voice he could muster at the moment.

"Ahem, old man, please: I need to get out of here! There are so many weird things here, I can't handle it! There are so many versions of myself, and at least half of them are perverts! You always were there when I went to and from my Inner World, so please tell me how I get out of this mess!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Oho~ Will Ichi finally return, will he be able to finally sleep? Or will he stay right where he is and get molested for the rest of his life?!**

Chapter 10

Zangetsu was taken aback. "Ichigo, if you had concentrated hard enough, you could have left here at any time. However, I think the reason you haven't been able to leave so far is because a force was preventing you."

Ichigo folded his arms and grumbled to himself. "I bet it was those damn Hollows…"

Zangetsu frowned and looked up at the sky. If Ichigo was truly upset, then clouds would be gathering. Instead, the sun shone beautifully across the world. "Ichigo, I do not believe it was anyone other than yourself. Your subconscious recognized that you were stressed and struggling, but look. Ever since you came here, the sun has been shining, and not a single drop of rain has fallen." Then, Zangetsu slowly frowned and released a heavy sigh. "But, if you truly wish to leave, then I suppose I will help you."

' _Even if it means that the rain will fall once more in this world… I'll do what you've asked of me, Ichigo,'_ Zangetsu thought to himself. This really put a damper on this beautiful day within Ichigo's mind. Sometimes he wished his master would be a happy kid, like that Keigo dude… on the other hand… better not. Who knew how hyperactive this kid would be and he doesn't wanna know what this dude did at night. He shuddered. Zangetsu would take a little grumpy strawberry that is innocent any day. Ichigo was a prude, no doubt, but he was a good one, with a heart of gold. Suffering a little bit of rain was nothing compared to raging hormones of the people in his master's class. No thanks, he had quite the lucky pull with his master, bless the Soul King (even if he wasn't _exactly_ the one responsible for putting 'Zangetsu' in Ichigo's soul in the first place).

Ichigo's face showed nothing more than gratitude. Finally, people who decided to not work against him for once! With shining eyes and big eyebags that just screamed: please let me sleep, he spoke, exhausted, "So, what do I have to do to go back?"

"I will let you go back on _one_ condition," Zangetsu spoke fiercely, his eyes narrowing on Ichigo in a more fatherly-like way than Ichigo had ever experienced in pretty much his entire life. Not like that was hard when your father is Isshin Kurosaki. "You, Ichigo, must get some sleep. You can leave your homework for tomorrow! No touching it! You must get as much rest as you can! Just look in the mirror! You are about to faint if you continue like this."

Mugetsu nodded and turned Ichigo around to face him. Ichigo was met with serious red eyes and a harsh scowl beneath the grey wrappings. "Zangetsu here won't say it, so I will. I don't want to see clouds in your Inner World because you're working too hard! So, go get some rest. You're the ruler of this world after all, and we need you to be in top shape so we can all relax. When you're stressed, we are too."

Ichigo blinked and found himself slowly nodding, even if he hadn't quite taken in everything that had been said to him. "O-Okay, thanks for worrying about me, I guess." ' _Just send me back I am tired… and I don't wanna see those Hollows ever again either. Okay, maybe I would take Ogichi, but I don't want to see the other two!_ '

"Alright, Ichigo," Zangetsu sighed, truly sadder to see Ichigo leave than he would ever admit. "All you have to do is calm your breathing and relax your body, as if you were falling asleep. Only you will focus your mind on waking up within your room, just like any other morning. Visualize it and feel it, then you will materialize back in your room."

Ichigo nodded and plopped to the ground, instantly in a meditative pose (he was quite skilled at that after three months of sitting like this to receive Mugetsu). "Thanks, old man!" He said, nodding to Zangetsu. Then he squeezed his eyes shut and began to concentrate.

Zangetsu watched as Ichigo faded from his Inner World. He sighed, feeling the world's atmosphere grow heavier as soon as its owner left. He felt the presences of the three Hollows and Tensa join them just as Ichigo left.

"He's not gonna try t'sleep, is he?" Shiro questioned, a knowing grin on his face. If Ichigo wasn't going to rest willingly, it meant more fun times for the Hollow!

Tensa released a sigh and slowly shook his head whilst Zangetsu answered, "You know the answer to that, Hollow."

* * *

The first thing Ichigo was thinking of was his blasted homework. Zangetsu had said something about waiting but his teacher would fry his ass if he didn't deliver in time! When he opened his eyes, he was confused. Didn't he fall asleep on the desk? And did he change his clothes? He honestly had no idea and he didn't care either. ' _Just need to finish a few more pages, then it's fine, right old man?_ '

When Ichigo moved to his desk, he instantly noticed that his hard work had gone missing! _'Where are my damn papers?'_ he asked himself, _'I can't start over!'_ Ichigo glanced at the clock. Fortunately, only a few minutes had passed while he was in his Inner World, so he still had plenty of time to work. It was only about 8pm, giving him at least three or four hours (if he pushed himself, and knowing Ichigo, he would) to work. Hell, Ichigo would work until 2am if he had to! He could survive on 4 hours of sleep before school! At least it would mean his teacher wouldn't get upset with him for not completing his assignment, even if the teacher would get upset with him falling asleep in class. As long as his grades were fine, then no one would bother him anyways!

Argh! There was just no winning for the orangette.

"Mm, told ya this would happen," came Shiro's teasing voice. Ichigo gasped but before he could turn around, pale hands covered his eyes. "Guess who, King! Ya didn't listen to Zangetsu so now we get ta punish ya!"

"What!?" Ichigo gasped as it felt like he was being yanked backwards. Instead of him and his chair crashing against the ground, however, he woke once again to his Inner World. "No!" Ichigo protested, jumping to his feet. "You can't do this! I… I need to go back!"

"Shushh! Time is slower 'ere anyways! And if ya dare to do this to our body, we're all gonna have trouble later. So ya will sleep now, yer stupid papers can wait!" ' _Maybe tha' was da trash I trew away?_ '

"No it can't! Shiro, I swear, you better let me go-ouf!" Ichigo groaned as all the wind was forced from his lungs when Ogichi jumped on him. Just like a dog who jumps at its owner when he returned. He couldn't be mad at that, could he?

Ichigo yelped when his hair was touched. He looked up and saw bright blue eyes, glancing down at him with concern. At least the touch didn't belong to Shiro or Hichigo, so Ichigo would allow it. Slowly, the touch turned into a wonderful scalp massage. Ichigo found his eyes drifting shut and his body leaning back against Tensa's hands.

"See? Ain' this better?" Shiro questioned, squatting next to his King. Ichigo immediately thought, ' _Get your ass somewhere else._ '

Ichigo cracked open one eye to see him. He found Shiro and Hichigo hovering over him now, gentle yet eerie grins on their faces. Tensa shot a glare at the two and they backed off, if only slightly, before Tensa moved his hands lower and lifted Ichigo's head so Ichigo could use Tensa's lap as a pillow once more. Ogichi decided that he wanted attention too, so he simply hugged Ichigo's side and purred happily, his face showing real emotions for once. Zangetsu just sat next to Tensa as he played with his master's hair. Zangetsu kept an eye on the devilish Hollow twins (and less of an eye on the better-behaved Hollow).

Hichigo, not wanting to be forgotten once again, decided he would claim his master's right foot. Hugging it close so he would finally be recognized, the small yelp was all he needed to know that his owner knew he was there. (Ichigo was a little ticklish, but he could ignore it in favour of the massage on his head.) Mugetsu claimed the other side of his master's torso, still thinking that Ichigo was too cute for his own good. He sighed happily as he listened to the breaths of his adorable strawberry. And Shiro?

Well, Shiro not being one to be left out, claimed the left leg for himself, laying half on Ichigo to listen to his heart beat (also to get a nicer view of his King). He was happy to hear Ichigo's heartbeat grow slower and slower, finally calming down. If Ichigo had any energy left he would probably tell Shiro to get of him, moving his ass somewhere else. But now he was just tired and it was warm, so warm and comfortable. For once the souls all rested calmly, no yelling and no movement, just relaxing.

And that… was all Ichigo needed to finally fall asleep with all the parts of his souls happily together.

The End

 **SZ: And with that said, thank you for reading and we hope you enjoyed this fluff-filled story! Make sure to check out Midnight's other stories! (They are awesomeee!)**

 **M: x.x thanks~**

 **M: And be certain to comment if you crave more of these adorable duo-stories!**

 **SZ: I will make sure to keep them weird :D Since I can't write anything dirty anyways!**

 **(M: I've got that covered anyway, hehe~)**

 **(SZ: Pssst, on a note, anyone wanna write the stuff for my story? I will never finish it else, hehehe.)**


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